CINCINNATI — Derek Logue is a member of one of the few groups it is socially acceptable for people to openly hate. He knows online comments on this story will likely refer to him in the most vulgar terms, and no one will come to his defense.
But Logue said people like him are being unfairly discriminated against, and he thinks something should be done about it.
Logue is one of 17,236 adult registered sex offenders in Ohio, a group whose criminal histories are accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
Offenders must list with the local sheriff’s office the addresses of where they live, work, volunteer and go to school — information, along with their photograph, that is put into an online database. Depending on the severity of their crimes, they have to register between once a year for 15 years or — in the most serious cases — every 90 days for life.
Many also face restrictions on living too close to a school or daycare.
‘I served my time’
While some people have called for more public notification and oversight of offenders, Logue believes the entire registry should be taken down.
“The registry destroys lives,” said Logue, who will spend the rest of his life on the registry. “It has destroyed my life.”
Derek committed a crime almost two decades ago. He has not committed another crime. He has been hunted by a cruel lynch mob that will not ever let him live in peace. The legal system should be encouraging his succes at living a crime free life.
I see people attacking him even people that should understand his aggressive nature comes from being attacked and picked on non stop from bullies.
I have spoken to Derek a few times and find him very kind. He keeps in touch with registered citizens incarcerated in some pretty bad places. He spends his own money even though he’s poor to try to encourage and help registered citizens that are even worse off then himself. He spends Christmas with homeless registered citizens and brings them Christmas gifts. He also goes on TV and he knows he is going to be ganged up on and ridiculed. It’s easy to kick people when they are already down and not see the good in people. Those that can’t see good are seriously damaged people.
Some of us are lucky to have large families. Some of us feel alone fighting a battle that is really for survival. Most human beings don’t have to fight to survive. Those that do will understand.
Ugh, here’s another bird-walk from me:
Back in 2008, I saw him using his name online when publishing comments and speaking out. Everyone I knew who spoke out hid behind fake names and nicknames. At the time, I wasn’t aware if there was a general term for what him, myself and many others were doing other than being “activists” for a common cause. The few organizations and groups that formed in the years just prior didn’t seem to have a term for this movement. It would later be generally but not officially known as the “Reform Movement”. Back in those days, there was a separation of those who wanted to abolish the registry and those who only cared to remove non-repeat offenders. Today, I believe the entire registry must come down. The people and the government establishments have all abused the registry for decades. I caught a lot of flak for my original stance in only wanting non-repeat offenders to come off the registry but in my opinion there was no budging with people’s opinions on the registry, especially if it was an all or nothing approach. Dereck’s conviction is serious enough that his arguments are all-too-often considered invalid by the media and by the general public. It’s too damned bad people can’t look at the part where he hasn’t committed a crime since because that’s the entire point of reforming and moving on.
I believe it was 2008 when I first got the chance to speak with Mary Duval, who’s son was on the registry. While going blind, she stood up for her son and fought back against the system. Amazingly enough, she managed to find a way to get her son off the registry and since then she has passed and her son while vocal while on the registry, suddenly vanished into thin air. He later suffered serious trauma in a car accident but by then, almost nobody knew about it because he was no longer part of our community of registrants and family members of registrants. He like so many others where selfish.
Derek has proven to be vocal for over a decade in this reform movement and as a result, others have found the courage to also speak out. This is probably Derek’s greatest gift to others. The ability to show others it’s okay to speak out if you are already labelled and wearing the mark. While he’s not the ideal person to speak against the registry due to his criminal conviction, he’s proven to the rest of us that despite the seriousness of a criminal record, we can all stand up and speak up and defend ourselves from the never-ending punishments our Constitution is supposed to protect us against.
The reason I started using my name online back in 2008 when speaking up is simple: He was the only other person out there who was doing that. I didn’t want him to be alone in that. I made multiple mentions in posts in forums and other places online about the concept of using real names online, but sadly others didn’t step up to do the same. If they did, I haven’t seen them. (And i spend a considerable amount of time reading articles I find that related to the reform movement).
Rhetorical Question: Remember that many non-registrants speak up for us using their names, so why can’t the rest of you?
From 2011 through around 2015, there was a website targeting sex offenders for harassment. I had identified the owners of the website through careful data sleuthing after law enforcement refused to look into the matter. After taking the matter into my own hands, I learned the hard way about publishing anything online under my name. Sadly, this website in question later would drag me into a complicated legal battle in which I was unable to convince the courts that the case was designed purely to harass.
Thankfully, that case was finally thrown out. Despite all this, I kept using my name online. There was only a brief window of time in mid 2013 in which I was forced to use “Anonymous” due to stalking. Despite that, i went back to using my name online everywhere.
Derek as far as I can tell, has used his legal name from likely prior to 2008 through today online despite being stalked and harassed by many people including the now infamous “Valigator”, who thankfully passed away not long ago. (It took her dying to stop harassing him.)
Derek is also known for his demonstrations and public protests and traveling to places like Florida. I highly encourage others NOT to do those things for many reasons most of us already probably know. As of right now, his traveling to Florida for protesting and being vocal against the actions against Ron Book and his daughter Lauren netted him a nasty restraining order. His actions may ultimately undermine the reform movement and I think many others in the reform movement would probably agree with me on that point. The approaches of other organizations including ones like ACSOL have made tremendous progress in a few short years. If I were Derek, I would begin to look at the progress made and how it’s being accomplished and begin to spend time that. After all, practically all of the work done in the reform movement is volunteers. It’d be nice to see all that energy focused on things that really do work.
He’s right though, the registry needs to be abolished. He’s saying the very same thing he’s said a decade ago and many of us already felt. Derek, if you are reading this, please consider a new strategy: Perhaps using your research and writing skills to help further the cause?
To everyone else, I can honestly say that nobody has ever harassed me for using my real name online other than a single extortion website. I also don’t comment on articles found online unless they are syndicated/re-published or mentioned on websites like ACSOL, Florida Action Committee, NARSOL, et cetera. I suggest the rest of you reading this, look at me as an example.
We will prevail. Stay focused.
“It’s a balancing act and I fall in favor of society that has not engaged in crime and just wants to live a peaceful, safe life in a peaceful, safe neighborhood,” he said
^Did he just admit that it IS punishment and we’re effectively reduced to 3rd class citizens that are expendable?! YES HE DID!
“Balancing act” Right.. More like a silent genocide.
Great job D L!
Does anyone know the registration requirement for out-of-state registrants who want to visit Ohio? We’re thinking about vacationing there. It look likes three days, but not sure if that means “business days”, and I’m not even sure if three days is correct. The statute talks about establishing a “temporary domicile”. In our case, we would be staying at a hotel.
I find the same struggles. I am a convicted felony sex offender from 2006. I’ve done 5 hard years in prison and 5 more on Post Release Control.
Very difficult finding decent employment or any for that matter. I was just fired after 8 months of employment with no issues by District Mgr purely because she thought me as despicable. Now, what do I do?
Already $60 short on utilities & broke with no clue how to sustain lifes struggles next.